Al-Khaiwani Verdict Altered After the Fact
The verdict was altered after it was rendered to include the phrase “expedited implementation”, which prohibits appeal and release pending appeal. Who is disrespecting the judiciary now?
The security men prevented today, Tuesday, journalists and human rights activists from holding a sit-in in front of the High Judiciary Council in Sana’a.
The police men blockade the streets leading to the ministry of judiciary and prevented the protesters from reaching the ministry.
A number of representatives from the Sisters’ Arab Forum for Human Rights, the Dialogue Forum, the Change Organization for the Human Rights and Liberties, the Media Women Forum and the Democratic Social Forum, participated in the sit-in which was held later before the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate.
The protesters demanded an investigation of the change of the court verdict against the opposition journalist Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani, editor in chief of Al Shoura newspaper who was sentenced to 6 years in prison by the Yemeni State Security Court.
In their letter directed to the chairman of the High Judiciary Council, Esam al-Samawi, they demanded an investigation of the change of the court verdict against al-Khaiwani, saying we feel surprised that a point about the immediate implementation of the verdict was added to the court verdict.
Editor Abdel Karim Al-Khaiwani has been regularly targeted by the authorities and was arrested and charged in 2004, 2006 and 2007. These judicial proceedings are the latest and most serious in a long series of cases brought against the Editor. Editor Al-Khaiwani is being tried as a terror suspect rather than for a publishing crime for writing about the war in Sa’ada province.
